“They may not know how to get here or cannot afford to. Were the children all baptized Catholic?” Emily could already see the answer to that question in Mary’s cross expression.
“No. I had them baptized into the Protestant church.”
Emily winced. “I suspect that did not help.”
“No. Tommy took great delight in telling them though.” Mrs. O’Neal smiled.
“Have you sent them a letter or two?”
“I can’t write, can I. Tommy got someone to send them a note with each child born. And, yes, I know you can teach me and you’re teaching all the others, but I have twenty years or more on most of them. Too damned old to be doing schooling. Once you get the children taught they can read anything I need read to me. Tommy’s folks can’t read, either, though I know they find someone to read to them if they have a want to know. Probably one of Tommy’s siblings.”
“I will write a letter for you. Maybe there is someone in this place who takes photographs and we can send one of them as well. That is, if you wish.”
Mrs. O’Neal frowned in thought for a few moments then nodded. “We’ll do that. If I get no answer I will be certain the split between my Tommy and his family was final.”
Emily just nodded and looked around carefully as they entered the small collection of buildings they called a town. Photography had gained popularity and she hoped that, even in this area, some person had what was needed to offer such a service. Either that or a traveling one would pass through at some time. When they halted in front of the Trading Post she noticed that Mrs. O’Neal was careful not to park anywhere near the door to the tavern.
Once inside the store Mabel and Mrs. O’Neal fell into a friendly argument over the prices of her material. Emily went to the front window and studied the area. She had seen such places in her travels to the cabin she had shared with her sister. There was nothing more than what was absolutely needed and she suspected it would never truly become a real town. It would disappear as soon as people were able to safely go to a town that actually warranted a name. Even the bank was no more than a small house that had bars on the windows and a room for a large safe. It was more a place to stop briefly in one’s journey than an actual town.
Then she caught sight of several men walking toward the bank. One of them was very well dressed and tall, with hair as blond as hers and she froze. A heartbeat later she ducked behind one of the curtains that framed the window. She peered out again and her heart raced with alarm. What was Albert doing here, so close to her and Neddy and so soon after his last failure?
“Mrs. O’Neal,” she called softly.
Turning to look at her, Mrs. O’Neal frowned. “What are you doing? Why are you hiding?”
“Yes,” she hissed, “I am hiding. Can you see the men about to go into the bank?”
“I see them. Five of them. One of them’s a tall fellow in fancy clothes. Why?”
“That is Albert.”
Mrs. O’Neal hurried closer to the window. “That Albert who is causing us such trouble?”
“Yes. No, don’t pay attention to me. Act like you are studying the items in the window.” Mrs. O’Neal started studying a tea set that Emily suspected had come from someone in need of money, either someone passing through or even someone in the area trading for goods. “I need to get out of here without being seen.”
“What is going on?” asked Mabel as she walked up.
“Some fellow that’s working hard to kill our Emily and her nephew is over at the bank so she’s trying to hide. Don’t want him seeing us leave.” Mrs. O’Neal put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Man shouldn’t look so good. Ought to look like the evil snake he is.”
“Want me to shoot him?” Mabel stared at the man. “Could hit him easy from here but you’d have to pay for a new window.”
Emily stared at the woman in shock. “You can’t just shoot him down in the streets of town.”
“Why not? Want him shot somewhere else?”
“No! I just want to get away from him without him seeing me.”
“Shooting the bastard would solve that,” said Mrs. O’Neal and then she frowned at Mabel and said, “even if it does cost us the price of a window. A cracked window, too,” she grumbled, pointing to the crack that ran down one side.
“Cracked not broken. I shoot that fellow and it’ll be broke then, won’t it.” Mabel frowned out at the men in front of the bank. “Bit of a shame to shoot him ’cause he sure is a pretty fellow.”
Emily stared at the two women and then shook her head. “You cannot just shoot him. He is doing nothing to us at the moment. What explanation would you give for shooting him?”
“That he planned on doing something illegal,” said Mabel. “You said he was after killing you and the boy. Reason enough for me.”
“But he is not after us right this moment, not shooting us, not even looking at us. You would simply be killing him on the street. No, just show us how to get out of here without being seen. I do not know how the laws work here but where I come from you cannot just shoot a person even if you know he is rotten to the core.”
Mabel shrugged her wide shoulders. “Seems fair to me. But I can get you out of here without him seeing though it looks like he will be going into the bank soon.”
